Reflections

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article part 1

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 5:1-6:5; Acts 10:1-17

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy, Christian church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen. What does this mean? I believe that I cannot by my own reason or strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him; but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel, enlightened me with His gifts, sanctified and kept me in the true faith. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Third Article)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. There is a lot that the Holy Spirit does, but most of it is behind the scenes. He does have His big day on Pentecost. And Jesus explains in John 16 that unless He goes away, the Holy Spirit will not come. But usually the Holy Spirit is hanging out in the background, hovering over the waters at creation or leading Jesus out into the wilderness after His Baptism.

And this is as it should be, as it must be, as He would have it. For the Holy Spirit always points to the Son. It is His job to shine a bright light into the dark space of Good Friday and early Easter morning. He is the One who says to the world, "Jesus has come and He has come for you! Don't fear any longer, your sins are forgiven, your death is dead, and even Satan's head has been crushed with a heel."

His work is to show us Jesus. And it is a good thing that He does, because without Him, I wouldn't be able to see a thing. Dead in my trespasses, I can't reach out to the Son, make my way to the Christ, work my works of belief in Jesus. Dead men are dead! They can't grasp or choose or decide or make sense of, all they can do is lie dead.

It is the work of the Holy Spirit that I believe. It is Him and not me. I believe that I can't believe and need the Holy Spirit to make me holy and keep me in the one true faith. And so He does, but He ties Himself to means so that I can know for certain that the victory won on the Cross has been delivered to me. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

We all confess the Holy Ghost, Who, in highest heaven dwelling With God the Father and the Son, Comforts us beyond all telling; Who the Church, His own creation, Keeps in unity of spirit. Here forgiveness and salvation Daily come through Jesus' merit. All flesh shall rise, and we shall be In bliss with God eternally. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.1)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Matthew 16:13-20

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 4:1-24; Acts 9:23-43

Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. It may seem strange that we celebrate the feast of Peter and Paul on the exact same day. After all, they probably didn't spend all that much time together. After the Damascus road, Paul was jet-setting all over the known world, and not spending a whole lot of time in Jerusalem. So how is it that we end up celebrating both on the 29th of June? 

It's really about tradition. There is evidence as early as 256 AD that churches were observing the Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul together. And that was because it was traditionally thought that Emperor Nero had both of them killed in the city of Rome on the exact same day Paul beheaded and Peter crucified upside down. It is generally believed today that Peter was martyred nearly three years prior to Paul, but whatever the case, tradition runs its course and we can still find ample reasons for celebrating these two pillars of the Church together. For indeed, who is responsible for the proclamation of the Gospel more than Peter and Paul?

In our reading for today we hear Peter's confession, the confession upon which Jesus would build His Church. And it is within this Church, the universal Church, the Church founded upon the testimony of the prophets and the apostles, that Jesus places the Keys of the kingdom of heaven. Within Her walls we get to hear of the Son of God crucified as the Christ for the forgiveness of our sins. Within Her walls we get to receive this Cross of His, dripping from the baptismal font, placed upon paten and chalice, to be wetted and eaten and drunk for life everlasting.

And it is for these reasons that we give thanks to our Lord above who found it meet, right, and salutary to send these two men (and many others) out to proclaim the Good News of Christ crucified for you! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Merciful and eternal God, Your holy apostles Peter and Paul received grace and strength to lay down their lives for the sake of Your Son. Strengthen us by Your  Holy Spirit that we may confess Your truth and at all times be ready to lay down our lives for Him who laid down His life for us, even Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for St. Peter and St. Paul)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 3:1-17; Acts 9:1-22

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. (1 John 3:16)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. What is love? We don't need to guess what it means to love someone. Jesus has shown us His and the Father's love for us, that He laid down His life for us. He did this in a sacrificial way, offering His body as a propitiation for our sin: a covering, a removal, a great exchange of His stuff given to us and our stuff taken away. See, the concept of love isn't that hard.

Unfortunately, when the sinner exercises "love," he rarely cares about the other. Think about it: When I am in love with something or someone, the sinner within me really only cares what that something or someone can do for me. I care about how I feel and about how I see things. In loving something or someone, my hope is that my life is the one that is improved.

But this isn't love. Sure, this might be what we think love is or what the world says love is, but this is never the way in which our Lord speaks about love. The love that He shows is always a love for the other, never for the self. The self is always sacrificed, the self always goes without, the self always suffers so that the other can have. That is the way of Christ and so this is the way of His Church.

Bottom line is that you can't claim to be a Christian and not know how to love your neighbor. It is inherent in who Christ is and He speaks of what that means for us in His Word. We love our neighbor because it is commanded of us by our Lord. But do not think of this command as something you need to fulfill in order to be saved. Christ already has taken care of that. Remember the whole, "By this we know love," stuff? Instead, think of this command as something you need to fulfill because your neighbor needs to be served. Yes, your neighbor, never yourself. In Christ, love gives and sacrifices for the other, always for the other. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In suff'ring be Thy love my peace, In weakness be Thy love my pow'r; And when the storms of life shall cease, O Jesus, in that final hour, Be Thou my rod and staff and guide, And draw me safely to Thy side! ("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.4)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Proverbs 9:1-10

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 2:1-24; Acts 8:26-40

[Wisdom] has sent out her young women to call from the highest places in the town, "Whoever is simple, let him turn in here!" To him who lacks sense she says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways, and live, and walk in the way of insight." (Proverbs 9:3-6)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Two women are contrasted in our text for today. Let's start with the latter: Lady Folly is a fool. She is a simpleton and knows nothing at all, but her ways are seductive. She sets herself up to look like the first lady. She does the same things and says the same words. It's all a ruse, but it's an effective one.

And her purpose is not to offer an equally valid option. She might say as much, maybe even has her minions whispering that very thing into your ear. In the advertisements that she has plastered all over town she is billing herself as equal to Lady Wisdom, only better. But only death lies beyond her. There is no life to be found in her. But she is seductive. And she promises to you that she can grant you more life than Wisdom. She can't.

For Wisdom has her house built on a sure foundation and she has already slaughtered her beasts to feed you with a full banquet. No stale water or crusty bread for you, just the choicest of wines and the fattiest of meats. Only the best for you: That is what Wisdom gives.

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight." This whole reading is all about Jesus. Contrast Him with whatever else and with whomever else you would like, because everything else is folly. Everything else only offers you the things that lead to death, eternal death, although they promise you the moon and all the happiness in the world. But it is all hollow and vapid, worthless and deadly. Only Christ Jesus calls His children inside His house and offers to them the things of life, the things of forgiveness, the things of Word and water and bread and wine, the things of Him and His Cross, given and granted free of charge to the simple and those who lack sense. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Since He is ours, We fear no powers, Not of earth nor sin nor death. He sees and blesses In worst distresses; He can change them with a breath. Wherefore the story Tell of His glory With heart and voices; All heav'n rejoices In Him forever: Alleluia! We shout for gladness, Triumph o'er sadness, Love Him and praise Him And still shall raise Him Glad hymns forever: Alleluia! ("In Thee Is Gladness" LSB 818, st.2)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Luke 14:12-24

Daily Lectionary: Joshua 1:1-18; Acts 8:1-25

And the master said to the servant, "Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled." (Luke 14:23)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Jesus finds Himself at another banquet. Early on, people loved to invite Him to these kinds of things, that is, until He garnered for Himself a certain reputation. At this particular banquet, Jesus makes things a little bit uncomfortable by telling the man who threw the party that he only did so in order to become more popular with the "in" crowd. If he really wanted a heavenly reward, he should have gone and invited those sitting at the losers' table. Awkward . . .

Someone tries to tamp everything down by making a bland, "Duh," sort of statement, meant to quiet the situation. So Jesus turns the awkwardness up to 11. The mysterious parable of the Great Banquet is then told: Everyone should clamor to come to this feast, but none of the cool kids want to. They all have better things to deal with: a new field, a new cow, a new wife. They seem like legitimate excuses, but are they really? The man isn't asking them to slave away in the coal mines. He is inviting them to a party. "Eat, drink, dance the night away. Don't worry about cleaning up afterward or inviting me to your party next week, just have the time of your life!" But everyone refuses.

Such is the way of the sinner, especially the one who has become so very bored with the things of Jesus. Why would anyone refuse a party? Why would anyone refuse the eternal Gifts given by the Lord of Life? It sounds weird when you pose it that way, but that is exactly what the sinner does.

And so the man invites the bums off the street and the wanderers of the byways. He invites the people who would never have hoped to be included in such a shindig. He invites the ones who couldn't pay Him back or throw a rival party. Those are the people who pack the banquet hall: the poor, the crippled, the blind, the lame, the losers, the nobodies, the worthless, the sinners. Yep, you guessed it, He invites you, and you get to feast with Him for all eternity at the best never-ending party ever thrown. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, since You never fail to help and govern those whom You nurture in Your steadfast fear and love, work in us a perpetual fear and love of Your holy name; through Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Second Sunday after Trinity)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity (Psalm 18:1-2a, 27, 30a, 49; antiphon: v.18b-19)

Daily Lectionary:Proverbs 31:10-31; John 21:1-25 

[O Lord,] I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me. (From the Introit for the Second Sunday after Trinity) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Let us pray . . . How long, O Lord? How long am I supposed to deal with these enemies who rail against me? How long am I going to have to deal with the evil that destroys all of the relationships I have in my life? How long will the guilt of my sin prick my conscience and trouble my heart? How long will the shame of the sin of others lay heavy upon me, smothering me to the point where I can't breathe anymore?

Is this going to last forever? You promised that you love me, but is this love? I thought that all of this pain would be taken away. I thought that the bullies at school would find someone new to pick on. I thought that the demons running around my head would be told to be silent. I thought that the feelings and desires that seem to come so naturally to me wouldn't be so foreign to what you call good. How long, O Lord, must I suffer with all of this?

Consider and answer me, O Lord my God. Grant to my eyes the light of your salvation. Give me comfort and the peace that passes all understanding in the midst of pain. For I know that my death looms over me; each day calling out a little louder. I know that my enemies lurk in the shadows, plotting and scheming against me. I know that the demons whisper into my ears, telling me that I am too far gone and am not yours.

So deal bountifully with me once again, like you did on the Cross those many years ago. In fact, give me that Cross, today, right now, for now is when I need it. Graciously provide for me the Body that was broken there for me. Place it on my tongue. Mercifully share with me the Blood that was poured out there for the sins of the world. Pour it down my throat. Grant to me the faith I need to receive your crucified and empty-tomb victory, that I may sing your praises once again and proclaim unto the world, in the face of my enemies, that Jesus is for me! In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Shine in our hearts, O Spirit, precious light; Teach us Jesus Christ to know aright That we may abide in the Lord who bought us, Till to our true home He has brought us. Lord, have mercy! ("To God the Holy Spirit Let Us Pray" LSB 768, st.4)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Luke 1:57-80

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 30:1-9, 18-33; John 20:1-18 

"And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways, to give knowledge of salvation to his people in the forgiveness of their sins." (Luke 1:76-77) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Zechariah's tongue is finally loose. Nine months of silence. Nine months of not being able to speak with Elizabeth about this miracle within her, not being able to speak with Mary upon her visitation about the greater miracle that had been bestowed upon her. Nine months of a stopped-up tongue so he might know that when the Lord promises a promise, a promise shall be fulfilled.

And so, on the day of his son's circumcision, the day in which his name is given to him before God and before his family, Zachariah is able to speak once again. But he doesn't just speak, he prophesies, he sings! He sings a song of salvation, a song of redemption, a song of forgiveness and life and promises everlasting. The fulfillment of the oath sworn centuries before, now being ushered in through this miracle son of his.

I wonder if this was a spontaneous prophecy, or if it was the Holy Spirit working within Zechariah for the last nine months. Were these lyrics running around in his head to a tune that had never been heard before by anyone except himself, and now he gets to proclaim this well-crafted hymn to all of creation? Or did he beep-bop and scat this thing out like jazz, so overwhelmed and overcome with the Holy Spirit that he barely had time to recognize the very things that he was saying?

In the end, it doesn't matter; it's just something fun to ponder. But whether this song of Zechariah was crafted or spontaneous, it pointed forward to a day that was fast approaching. Six months later the real miracle would be performed. And while the world would have to wait a couple of decades to see it all pay out with Jordan waters and a head on a platter and a Savior on a Cross, the time was at hand. Salvation had come to God's people in the very way that He had promised. And this eight-day-old boy named John was going to be the one to tell the world about it. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Almighty God, through John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, You once proclaimed salvation. Now grant that we may know this salvation and serve You in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life; through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. (Collect for the Nativity of John the Baptist)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 27:1-24; John 20:1-18 

Jesus said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?" Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him,  "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away." Jesus said to her, "Mary." She turned and said to him in Aramaic, "Rabboni!" (which means Teacher). (John 20:15-16) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Mary Magdalene is more terrified and confused than she has ever been in her life. Her Lord has been crucified and now His body is no longer in the tomb. She came there that morning to find a small amount of peace in this world of death and destruction, and now even that is gone. Some graverobbers have stolen away the body of the Lord of Life and now she can't even commend Him to God above.

Peter doesn't seem to offer much help, nor does John. Even though they are viewing with their own eyes the empty tomb that Jesus had continually prophesied about, they can't believe it. Dead men stay dead and full tombs remain full. Even when the angels miraculously appear, it seems as if Mary is too punch-drunk to even acknowledge the miraculous.

So Jesus stands behind her. Was it the tears in her eyes that kept her from recognizing Him? Surely she could tell the difference between her Lord and some gardener she had never met before. Or maybe it is the mysterious miraculous impossibility of it all that keeps her mind clamped down in the rational and the logical.

And so Jesus calls her by name. (There is that "name" stuff again.) And it is in calling her by name that she recognizes the risen Christ. She wants to grab onto Him and never let Him go. She never again wants to lose Him, or to be without Him. But He says, " No,"  for a risen Christ isn't just for her: He is for everyone. He is going to go away again, and in a little while will ascend to His Father and hers. He does this so that He can send His Spirit and in His Spirit give the Gifts of the Cross, the Gifts of the empty tomb to everyone that He calls by name. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

Awake, my heart, with gladness, See what today is done; Now, after gloom and sadness, Comes forth the glorious sun. My Savior there was laid Where our bed must be made When to the realms of light Our spirit wings its flight. ("Awake, My Heart, with Gladness" LSB 467, st.1)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article part 3

Daily Lectionary:  Proverbs 25:1-22; John 19:23-42 

That I may be His own and live under Him in His kingdom and serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence and blessedness, just as He is risen from the dead, lives and reigns to all eternity. This is most certainly true. (Small Catechism: Apostles' Creed, Second Article) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. Our Small Catechism teaches us that the Second Article of the creed is about our redemption. It tells us who the Second Person of the Trinity is and what He has done for us. It tells what He has accomplished for us on the Cross with those words of finality, "It is finished!" So we know the "Who," and the "what." Part three of this article tells us, "why." 

God does nothing without purpose. He is not random. He doesn't just tinker with things to satisfy His own curiosity. We are told that before the foundation of the world, God loved us in Christ. As He spoke us into existence and formed us out of the dust of the earth, He loved us. As we slithered our way to the Tree of Knowledge and consumed the evil that should have never been ours, He loved us. He loved us to the point of the Cross and back, paying for our sins with His precious blood. He would make atonement for us because we could not make it for ourselves. He would rather go through hell than live for eternity without us.

And so the "why" of it all, the "why" of the atonement, the "why" of the incarnation, the "why" Maundy Thursday and Good Friday and Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday, the "why" of everything is so that we would be His once again. So that we would be wrestled from the deadly hands of sin and live in His kingdom: a kingdom of life, not of death.

He did all of this by granting us His righteousness in exchange for our sinfulness, His innocence in exchange for our guilt, His blessedness in exchange for our curse. He did all of this so that we may live forever with Him, serving Him by loving our neighbors and declaring to them the atoning love that Christ Jesus has for them. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

We all believe in Jesus Christ, His own Son, our Lord, possessing An equal Godhead, throne, and might, Source of ev'ry grace and blessing; Born of Mary, virgin mother, By the power of the Spirit, Word made flesh, our elder brother; That the lost might life inherit, Was crucified for all our sin And raised by God to life again. ("We All Believe in One True God" LSB 954, st.2)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.

Today's Reading: 1 John 3:13-18

Daily Lectionary: Proverbs 24:1-22; John 19:1-22 

Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. (1 John 3:18) 

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. John is writing to the churches in Macedonia, which is modern-day Turkey. He had spent the greater part of his ministry up near Ephesus, preaching and teaching the Gospel of a crucified Christ. It was the Gospel that landed him on Patmos. Eighteen months later, once he had made his way back to Ephesus, he saw the congregations that he had once held so dear, now thrown into heresy and unbelief. It doesn't take long for the sinner to screw things up. And we are so adept at screwing things up that we even pull God's Word into the equation and use Him to justify our actions.

One of the most deadly heresies that was circling the fledgling congregations was the thought that good works for our neighbor weren't important. Now as good Lutherans we like to say that good works aren't necessary, but that's not true: They just aren't necessary for salvation. But they are necessary, because even if God doesn't need them, your neighbor certainly does.

And so, a lot of what you hear in 1 John is a proclamation of who you are. John isn't so much telling you what you should do, but instead he is telling you who Christ has made you to be in Him. "By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers." Christ has made us to be sacrificial servants for others because that is exactly who He is for us. One cannot help but be in Christ and love one's neighbor, not just in word or talk, but in deed and truth.

Love looks like something. Love serves. Love cares for the other. Love never looks inward, but always looks to the neighbor. Love looks like Christ, and so should we, not to garner salvation or to make God smile upon us, but so that our neighbors might be provided and cared for, and that they might be loved. In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. 

O grant that nothing in my soul May dwell, but Thy pure love alone; Oh, may Thy love possess me whole, My joy, my treasure, and my crown! All coldness from my heart remove; My ev'ry act, word, thought be love. ("Jesus, Thy Boundless Love to Me" LSB 683, st.2)

-Rev. Eli Lietzau is pastor of Wheat Ridge Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO.

Audio Reflections speaker: Rev. Duane Bamsch

Come on an adventure with author Eric Eichinger as he unpacks the saga of Jesus' Hero Journey. You'll see how aspects of this journey are seen in popular stories, and how God used Jesus to create the most action-packed one with a real Savior for all. Now available from Concordia Publishing House.